Zenaida Arroyo

06
Jan
2022

Fit Five Friday and January 2022 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Happy New Year! I am so happy that it’s Friday! Today is my last day of Winter Break and will go back to work on Monday. I’m starting off the weekend with a little catch-up over the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah. So grab a mug of your favorite beverage and let’s chat for a bit!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that as much as I enjoyed my break, in a way I am looking forward to going back to work on Monday. I miss my students and my routine. I like being at home but I need a different environment. I will miss having access to the bathroom and going whenever I want to. I have been cutting down on coffee and have noticed a difference in the number of times I use the bathroom. However, I am not looking forward to having to wear my mask all day again. Also, I am not looking forward to the stupid expectations and political issues that really have nothing to do with education. It seems like administrators want to have their cake and eat it too. It doesn’t work that way.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I have not run at all this week. And I am OK with it. It is too cold outside. On Monday I joined the gym to have access to the treadmill but I couldn’t stand being there. I had to wear a mask while running and it was awful. I was in tears in the dressing room when I was getting ready to go home. Not sure how one week of not running will affect my training but I am OK with it. No pressure.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that since I haven’t been running, I’ve been spending more time on my Peloton. I’ve taken one class each day since January 1st. Now that is a record for me! My new favorite instructor is Camila Ramón. I love her energy and attitude. I also love that some of her classes are in Spanish. She is so fun and reminds me of Cody.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that my plan on New Year’s Eve was to go to bed early. I got home around 6 and watched TV. I couldn’t stop. I was hooked on Castle (finally watched all 8 seasons) and watched it till 11pm. And then I went to sleep. I guess I could have stayed up for another hour but I didn’t. I was already tired. 😀 Did you stay up past midnight?

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that besides patience with myself and others, I am also looking at being more positive. Too much? These past two years were awful for many reasons and I am simply tired of it. I want this year to be a bit different. How different? Not sure but hopefully being more positive will help.

Thanks for linking up with us again this week! We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites! Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please add your link below. I am also linking up with Running with Perseverance and Confessions of a Mother Runner for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

04
Jan
2022

Tuesday Topics: My word for 2022

categories: Tuesday Topics

Welcome to the first edition of Tuesday Topics for 2022! Kim and I have lots of fun topics for this year and are excited for you to join us every week. We decided that the last Tuesday of every month will be a FREE Topic. Also, we’re looking for cool, new topics to highlight for the rest of 2022. If you have any topics that you would like to add, please let me know in the comments section!

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: Your word for 2022. You can write about this topic or feel free to post any running related blog post. Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Remember to come back for later linkers!

Last year my word was “Joy”. It wasn’t easy but I did find joy last year. I am working on a post and will have it ready by the end of the month. For 2022 I decided my word to be “Patience”. I started it working on it last year (well, all of the time but more last year) but want to do better this year.

Patience: : the ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when dealing with problems or with difficult people.

1: Patience for my mother
I have said before and I will say it again but she is an amazing and wonderful woman. It’s been rough these past couple of years but at the same time I’ve had a great time with her. She is older and requires extra help. As stressful as it is, I am glad to be one of her daughters taking care of her. I’d rather do that than have her be in a nursing home.

2: Patience for my students
No matter what they say or do or don’t do, they’re kids. They wear me out and leave me exhausted at the end of the day. However, I still love seeing them laugh and smile. They make me smile too. It’s been a rough time for us but we are doing the best we can. Yesterday during the winter break boot camp a few students told me that they’re ready to go back to school.

3: Patience for my students’ parent
I am not a parent so I don’t know what it is like to be one. However, it drives me crazy when they don’t do more or not enough for their child. I don’t think they realize that I also want the best for them but we have to work together. Yes, they spend 5-6 hours with me each day but they’re their first teacher.

4: Patience for others
I am not perfect. No one is. I pick my battles and some things are just not worth getting upset about. Well, maybe I do for a little bit and then move on.

5: Patience for myself
I also need to take care of myself. I have to take it easy and slow down. Life is short. I have to enjoy it now while I can. Plus I work but and am still human. I will make mistakes and not everything will go as planned.

Topic for next week – What’s one fun related thing you did over the holidays? Feel free to write about this or any running related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

31
Dec
2021

Fit Five Friday and December 2021 Runfessions

categories: Fit Five Friday, Runfessions

It’s the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the Runfessional! It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renée, Jenn, Michelle, and me! Let’s get started, shall we?!

I runfess…
That I didn’t realize that today was the last day of the year when I was calculating my mileage for the year. I thought the last day was tomorrow and was counting on those 9 miles. On Monday I was adding my mileage and realized that I needed an additional 4 miles. I did an extra mile on Tuesday and ran 3 on Wednesday (on my rest day) to make up for it.

I runfess…
I had am so tired of hearing how teachers need to be patient, show up for work with a smile everyday, etc., for the students. It has been hard for them. Yes, it has. But it has been for us too. For everyone. We are all struggling. We are doing the best we can. We are also humans with real feelings and not everyday will be a happy and good day. Oh, and students in Illinois will receive 5 mental health days per year starting in 2022. While I think they should get it, what about others that also work in the schools?

I runfess…
I belong to a Tieks Facebook group. You all know I love my Tieks. The members there mostly sell new or slightly used shoes. I’ve sold a few pairs myself. Sometimes Tieks has limited edition shoes and they sell out right away. If someone does not want or like the shoes, they can simply return them back to Tieks. They even pay for return shipping! However, some people in the group sell the limited edition shoes instead of returning them. They also mark up the price to include shipping and handling and fees. Tieks does not charge any of that. I bite my tongue and don’t say anything. No one is allowed to shame anyone. I don’t understand why they can’t just send them back. And don’t even get me started on people that buy the limited edition shoes and sell them for a much higher price to make a profit on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, etc.

I runfess…
I don’t expect gifts from anyone but I am surprised I didn’t get more from my students. This year I received gifts from 5 students. Yes, it was more than last year. 😀 I spend about 25-30 hours a week with the students and yet I get nothing from parents. Seriously? On Tuesday I received a Christmas card and a Starbucks gift card from a friend I haven’t seen in about 2 years. In her card she thanked me for being a teacher. Maybe the parents are not Christmas “people”? See next point.

I runfess…
That I am not a Christmas “person”. I don’t really like it. I don’t celebrate it nor believe in the birth of Jesus. I know Christmas is mostly about family spending time together and giving gifts. I only buy gifts for my students (this year I gave them color pencils) and occasionally partake in a Secret Santa Gift Exchange. I get together with my family on a regular basis. Why should I wait for a holiday to get together with them? Ugh, and then many businesses are closed. I do my laundry on Saturday and went to 3 laundromats and they were all closed. I was not happy about it. Luckily my neighbor downstairs said I could use their washing machine.

Rant over. Thanks for listening.

Thanks for linking up with us again this week! We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites! Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please add your link below. I am also linking up with Marcia for Runfessions.

28
Dec
2021

Tuesday Topics: My goals for 2022

categories: Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: What are your goals for 2022? You can write about this topic or feel free to post any running related blog post. Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Remember to come back for later linkers!

I can’t believe 2021 is almost over. Wow, time to start thinking about next year. Last year I wrote my goals for 2021 and, unfortunately, did not reach all of them. I will be including them again in this post for next year.

✅ Stay injury free. This year I had a minor calf strain and plantar fasciitis in the Summer but it wasn’t serious that I had to stop running for weeks or months. I try to use everyday my massage gun and my mother’s foot and calf massager.

✅ Buy a house. Yep, still on my list. Still looking. I am giving myself till the Summer to move. I don’t want to move in the middle of the year (especially while training for my race), but if I have to then I will.

✅ Travel. This year I traveled to work, to the laundromat, and to the store. Hopefully next year I will at least leave the state. At least I did leave the city. 🤣

✅ Continue to be patient at work and at home. I noticed a change towards the end of the year. I wasn’t as angry as I would usually get. At work I pick my battles and mainly focused on the things that I can control (mainly in my classroom). I do need to work on being more patient with parents. Ugh, sometimes they drive me crazy with the things they do and/or don’t do for their child.

✅ PR in my 50k. My PR is 6:20:55 from 2012. That is a 12:14 pace. 😮

✅ Run 1,200 miles. I was planning to run that this year but unfortunately had to change it to 1,000 miles.

✅ Complete 300 Peloton rides. I’ve been slacking with my bike. Running has been taking a lot of my time, but I know that if I plan it correctly, I can fit in a bike ride after work.

24
Dec
2021

Fit Five Friday: 5 reasons I dislike running outside

categories: Fit Five Friday

You know I don’t mind running outside. Well, I have no choice and I make the best of it. However, there are times when I dislike running outside.

🌝 The uneven ground. I run on the sidewalk and on the streets. There has been a few times in which I’ve almost tripped. I have fallen a few times as well. It is worse when it is dark.

🌝 The drivers. I am sure that if most of them took the driving test again, they would fail. I wear a headlamp and a vest but still drivers act like they do not see me. Also, whenever I am outside and it is dark, I get extra nervous when I see white vans (I blame it on watching too much TV).

🌝 The weather conditions. Too cold. Too hot. Too windy. Chicago is famous for the different types of weather in one day. I’ve run in all of the different weather conditions and many time they suck. But I do it anyway. During the Winter I also need to wear extra layers which leads to more laundry.

🌝 The harassment. Ugh! I hate it. I’ve been stared at and yelled at. Cars have driven by honking at me. I don’t know where it is because the driver knows me or because the driver is encouraging me. Whatever the reason, I do not like it at all.

🌝 The dogs. I don’t hate dogs. I dislike it when they come out of no where and start barking at me. I’ve run on the sidewalk and dogs can see/hear me and start barking. Once a dog ran up to me barking and it scared the shit out of me. I stopped running and for sure thought he/she was going to bite me. Nope, the dog hanged around for a bit and then ran off. Another time I was out by the airport and I saw two dogs on the opposite side of the street. They both crossed the street to come near me. Again I stopped and then they ran off. A few even bark when they’re with their owner. I am sure my heart rate goes up when this happens!

Thanks for linking up with us again this week! We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites! Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please add your link below.